Santa Monica Bay

 

It was a sunny day

I went   fishing at the Santa Monica Bay

I caught a Cod

Weighed nearly ten pounds

Maybe it was my lucky day

I wanted to celebrate

 

On my way back

I was stopped by a sergeant

He said Uncle Sam wants me

I was drafted and sent to Nam

 

I survived booby traps

But I couldn’t stand the revolting smell of Napalm

When I came home

There were no welcome signs

 

They called me hurtful names

Rejected me like the plague

Nobody wanted me

Not even the Santa Monica Bay

 

I went fishing

But I could not catch any fish

I went to the bar

I wanted to wash away my worries

 

Whiskey and cigars

Became my new pals

I met Judy

To whom I paid fifty dollars a night

 

But I had no salvation

My nights were disturbing

When I was listening to Rolling Stones "Satisfaction"

I could hear the gunshots and Bell helicopter sounds

My dead buddy said "take cover Frank"

 

When I met my doctor

 He said go to the Vet center

Now nearly three decades

I am fighting a solitary battle

 

Unlike in the Nam, I don’t see my enemy

I don’t want to stay in the Vet center anymore

I want to go to the Santa Monica bay

 

 (This poem is dedicated to Herbert Jake (L/ Corporal Retd) of the US Army) 

Ruwan M Jayatunge